Mortgage & Financial resource includes weekly poll. Comment about your choice and be interviewed where you can highlight your company and your positions. Great source to stay up to date in laymens terms with interest rates and financial news in the headlines.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Sentiment is growing that Bank of America Corp.'s Kenneth Lewis may have won a place in the pantheon of great Wall Street titans by using his financial clout to help the country avoid economic ruin.

In some circles, Bank of America's is being seen as critical to the end of the Panic of 2007.On Monday, The Wall Street Journal crowed that "the deal at once helped stabilize the credit markets and gave Bank of America a foothold in the nation's biggest mortgage lender." The move also was a tonic for a company that was driving "depositors into branches to withdraw funds and [sending its] stock tumbling," Merrill Lynch wrote in a negative credit report that mentioned the possibility of bankruptcy

"The infusion also may help to reassure investors that the mortgage market is safe after rising default rates sparked a global credit crunch," Bloomberg said. In Europe, Agence France-Presse observed that Lewis "boosted confidence about an easing of the credit squeeze," and that this was "a sign of confidence that the storm in the mortgage sector may be ending."

The B. of A. move comes exactly a century after J.P. Morgan -- back then, the man and the bank were the same -- helped stem the Panic of 1907. That year, depositors made a run on two U.S. banks. Morgan responded by convincing U.S. Treasury Secretary George Cotelyou to inject $25 million into the banking system. Sound familiar?

Morgan also created a $3 million pool to save Trust Co. of America. Responding to pleas from the New York Stock Exchange, Morgan, leading a consortium of bankers, pledged another $25 million to back the exchange. He also bailed out New York City by backing a $30 million bond issue.

In today's terms, that would be about $600 million for the banking system, $71 million to Trust Co. and a $631 million bond issue. Morgan didn't put up all the funds, but he organized the relief.His reward? Morgan helped the economy, and in turn his own assets. Brokers on the floor of the NYSE cheered his action to help the exchange so loudly that he could hear the roar from his office across the street at 14 Wall St. A thankful Washington allowed him to buy a railroad worth about $16.7 billion today for $1.1 billion.

Morgan isn't alone in coming to the rescue during a financial crisis. Other financial titans have come forward to offer help, albeit smaller in scale. Recently, Warren Buffett rescued Salomon Brothers in 1991, and a consortium of banks rallied by the New York Federal Reserve bailed out Long-Term Capital Management by putting up $3.6 billion in 1998.

U.S. banks also stepped in to buy flailing savings and loan thrifts in the late 1980s and '90s. They usually scooped up assets as discount prices.

'Bank of America was just looking for a bargain, and essentially got one.'— Charles Geisst, professor and author

This idea of bailing out by bargain-shopping is really what's at work here with Lewis. "Bank of America was just looking for a bargain, and essentially got one," said Charles Geisst, a history professor at Manhattan College and author of several finance books, including "Wall Street: A History, From Its Beginnings to the Fall of Enron."

Geisst believes that the Countrywide acquisition didn't even really stabilize the mortgage markets, as some have suggested. The market for mortgage-backed securities is still impaired, he commented.

This leaves Lewis as more of a shrewd opportunist than patriotic investor. He and B. of A., after all, have been pining for a piece of Countrywide for more than five years.

Not only did the executive get the stock at a deep discount of nearly 50%, but also the shares pay a 7.25% dividend. What's more, the investment immediately returned a paper profit of more than $400 million after the deal was announced and Countrywide's stock soared.For those longing for a Wall Street baron to save the markets like the great J.P. Morgan, there may be opportunity yet.

"We will get some rescues," Geisst said, pointing to the decision by B. of A., Citigroup Inc. to borrow $500 million each from the Fed's discount window.

"Those four going to the discount window is like someone from the Upper East Side going to Wal-Mart," Geisst added. "They were probably fronting in the marketplace for an institution that was really in trouble."

Maybe there's a modern-day Morgan out there. We can all pitch in and buy him a railroad.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

At the end of 2006 and the start of 2007 the mortgage and real estate industry as a whole experienced the biggest downward spiral in decades. The real estate market finally peaked after several years of record breaking rising values. As always happens in the real estate market, the values rose to a point beyond that which the average home buyer could tolerate. Investors were not able to sell at the same profits, and buyers felt costs reached a limit that was unattainable and new home buying began to cool.

In the financial arena we had several years of record mortgage origination volumes of which sub-prime mortgages, also known as bad credit mortgages, made a huge percentage of. Lenders were loosening guidelines and creating ever more aggressive programs to try to take advantage of the booming market. This led to many bad credit consumers accepting a loan program that was not in their best interest. The most popular and notorious loan was the 2 year ARM. With a teaser rate that allowed affordable monthly payments.. when these loans adjusted in 2007 we saw many people in loans that they could no longer afford. This cause a massive amount of foreclosure and loan defaults to take place. Lenders were taking bottom line hits in the millions that forced them to declare bankruptcy and shut their doors. This combined with the scrutiny lenders received from Government agency caused some of the biggest players in the industry to leave the loan origination arena. This had a severely negative trickling affect as the remaining lenders faced some very tough decisions. They saw that they could no longer originate loans as they had In the past.

The number of sub-prime lenders that closed doors was astounding. For the remaining lenders in the industry and few the new ones that would pop up in 2007, tighter underwriting standards prevailed. No more could the crazy loose guidelines from years past be allowed. Lenders had to really take a hard look at if a buyer was going to be able to repay their loan, even after an adjustment on an ARM loan took place. They needed to verify more information about the borrower’s history and had look deeper into their spending habits to qualify them for a loan. This led to far fewer loans being originated and fewer sub-prime buyers being able to purchase their first home. Also due to the stricter guidelines those borrowers that had originally been qualified for a loan and placed into a short term (band-aid) ARM loan were not able to qualify for a refinance when the adjustments came due. This forced many people into foreclosure situations.

What we had by the end of the first quarter of 2007 was a perfect storm in the sub-prime lending business and real estate markets. With an oversupply of inventory in real estate coupled with the fact that lenders were not willing to originate loans to the bulk of the buyers.. situations became bleak quickly. Thousands upon thousands of jobs were lost. Realtors, Real estate brokers, Account Executives, Processors, Underwriters, Mortgage Brokers, and loan officers all lost jobs. With fewer lenders and Broker business left operating many of these people had to leave the industry for a new career.

The few that remained were left to pick up the pieces and forge a responsible path for the future. With Mortgage Brokers taking a media beating the life of the mortgage broker and loan originator in 2007 continues to be a difficult one.

In part two of this article we will examine living with the new aftermath in bad credit mortgages in 2007 and some things all potential buyers need to know in order to buy their first home or refinance into a better loan.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

In a move that could help the largest U.S. mortgage lender survive a crisis that's rocking the home-loan industry, Bank of America . The nonvoting securities pay an annual interest rate of 7.25%.

They can be converted into common stock at $18 a share. If that happens, Charlotte, N.C.-based Bank of America won't be able to trade the stock for 18 months after conversion, the two companies said in a statement.

"We believe that Countrywide Financial still faces many near-term challenges. But the influx of cash and capital reduces the potential for a catastrophic liquidity event, in our view," Wachovia told clients early Thursday. "Recent actions also suggest that the Federal Reserve is willing to provide liquidity despite lingering inflation concerns."

Countrywide's shares have been hammered this month as a broadening crisis in the mortgage business cut off the company's access to its usual sources of borrowing in the market.Countrywide had to tap an $11.5 billion loan facility from 40 banks last week and said it was planning to funnel most of its mortgage origination through its bank. But then Countrywide had to head off a run on its bank as some depositors withdrew their savings.

"We hope this investment will be a step toward a return to a more normal liquidity in the mortgage markets," said Kenneth Lewis, Bank of America's chief executive, in a statement. "In the current turmoil the stock market has been underestimating the value in Countrywide's operations and assets."

Bank of America's decision also highlights the importance of Countrywide's role in providing money for home purchases across the U.S., Lewis added, noting that Countrywide services the mortgages of one in seven American households.

"Bank of America's investment in Countrywide represents a vote of confidence and strengthens our balance sheet, enabling us to position Countrywide for future growth and success," said Angelo Mozilo, chief executive of Countrywide, in the statement.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Lehman Brothers said Wednesday that it's shutting its subprime-mortgage unit BNC Mortgage LLC and firing 1,200 people, becoming the latest company to stop offering home loans to less-creditworthy borrowers. BNC was a top-20 subprime mortgage lender in 2006, originating more than $14 billion worth of home loans, according to industry publication Inside B&C Lending.Lehman said it will keep offering mortgages through Aurora Loan Services LLC, another unit that focuses on so-called Alt-A home loans. Alt-A mortgages are offered to more-creditworthy borrowers, but they often require less documentation.The closure of BNC will affect roughly 1,200 employees in 23 locations in the U.S., Lehman

The job cuts are the latest to hit the mortgage industry. Home loan companies have eliminated more than 25,000 positions in August alone.

Wednesday's move will cost Lehman more than $50 million, it said. Charges, including severance, real estate and technology costs, will total roughly $25 million after taxes, Lehman said. Another $27 million in costs would stem from the after-tax write-off of goodwill, the company added.

"Market conditions have necessitated a substantial reduction in ... resources and capacity in the subprime space," Lehman said in a statement.

Lehman shares rose 1.7% to close at $58.54 on Wednesday. The stock is down roughly 24% so far this year.

After mortgage lenders originate loans, they often package them up as mortgage-backed securities and sell them to institutional investors such as hedge funds, insurers, banks and pension funds.

During the recent housing boom, the securitization of subprime mortgages and other home loans was a lucrative business for investments banks. It became so attractive that some firms acquired subprime mortgage lenders so they could originate loans in-house to package up and sell. bought Saxon Capital for more than $700 million in December.

However, rising delinquencies on subprime mortgages have triggered a credit crunch in the mortgage business. More than 50 lenders have already gone bankrupt and investors in the secondary mortgage market have stopped buying securities backed by subprime loans.That's undermined one of the main reasons why these investment banks acquired subprime mortgage originators.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

In a research note, however, analyst Robert Lacoursiere cut his price target on the stock to $21 from $31. Shares of Countrywide, the largest U.S. mortgage lender, closed Thursday off 11% at $18.95 after it said it borrowed $11.5 billion from a group of 40 banks due to problems finding money in credit markets. To reduce its reliance on credit markets further, the company said that it would try to originate nearly all mortgages through its banking operation. See full story.Lacoursiere said the upgrade doesn't reflect any shift in his bearish stance on the residential mortgage market. Instead, the stock price "fairly balances the probability of a conservative worst-case outcome of a liquidity induced distressed asset/breakup sale valued $7.25 against the prospect of a smaller and much less profitable company that we would value at $23.50 today."

Although Lacoursiere warned that "sizable risks remain," he said Countrywide's use of its credit line gives the company breathing room. "As a result we think the possibility of a liquidity induced distressed sale [is] unlikely," the analyst wrote.Still, the company faces headwinds such as higher financing costs, slipping fundamentals and credit pressures, and Lacoursiere slashed his per-share profit estimates for this year and 2008. "Seeing the potential for a volatile saw-toothed performance as the market reassesses risk and confronts multiple quarters of poor results against deteriorating fundamentals, we do not see this as an opportunity to build a position," he said.

Credit agencies have already lowered their ratings on Countrywide's debt. The uncertainty surrounding the company's future highlights how far the pain that started in subprime mortgages has spread into other home loans that were seen as more secure.

Housing prices are down in many areas of the country, and more borrowers are defaulting as their mortgage rates rise. Several mortgage lenders have gone out of business or stopped originating new loans as sources of short-term financing have dried up. In response to the trouble in credit markets, the Federal Reserve on Friday said it has cut the discount rate to 5.75% from 6.25%.

The stock market rallied in response to the Fed's rare move as Countrywide's shares gained more than 11% at $21.18 in afternoon trading Friday.

Earlier this week, the stock plunged after Merrill Lynch analyst Kenneth Bruce downgraded the shares to sell from buy.

"We fear that the acceleration of margin calls and forced asset sales in the capital markets could lead to more problems for Countrywide to finance its mortgage operations," Bruce wrote in a note to clients Wednesday.

"Should a liquidity event occur, for which the likelihood is increasing, Countrywide shares would probably witness further selling pressure," he said.

Morningstar analyst Erin Swanson in a Thursday note took a more cautiously optimistic tone. After reviewing Countrywide's financial position, "we believe the chances of bankruptcy are remote and the firm will be able to operate through the current liquidity squeeze," the analyst said.

Although the company is facing "unprecedented disruptions" in the mortgage market and won't be able to completely sidestep the near-term pressure, "any earnings hit will not destroy significant value," Swanson said.

"The waters ahead are choppy, and market fear is not subsiding," the analyst said. "However, we contend that as the best-positioned mortgage originator, Countrywide is highly undervalued right now."

"Although the situation is currently dire, we think Countrywide's strategy leaves the company viable over the long term," added analysts at Fix-Pitt Kelton in a report Friday. "Essentially Countrywide is walking away from market-based financing and moving to a more stable source of financing at the bank."

Meanwhile, some are backing the "too big to fail" argument.

"In our view, the odds favor having the government save Countrywide rather than letting it fail," said Stanford Group in a note Friday. "The disruption to the economy would simply be too great."

Thursday, August 16, 2007

NEW YORK, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Moody's Investors Service on Thursday cut its ratings on more than $19.4 billion of securities backed by subprime mortgage debt and Fitch Ratings said it may cut $12.1 billion.

Moody's said it cut 691 deals backed by closed-end second lien mortgages originated in 2006. The loans secured by a second priority mortgage lien on residential real estate, and are advanced in a specified amount at the closing of the loan.

"The actions reflect the extremely poor performance of closed-end second lien subprime mortgage loans securitized in 2006," Moody's said in a statement. "These loans are defaulting at a rate materially higher than original expectations."

Fitch said on Thursday it may cut the ratings on $12.1 billion of securities, citing high delinquencies and a rapid deterioration in underlying credit support for the securities.The rating action involves all classes within 58 RMBS subprime transactions backed by pools of closed-end second-liens. Thirty-five transactions were originated in 2005, 22 were originated in 2006, and one this year, it said.

While performance for individual transactions varies, Fitch said, the closed-end second-lien sector as a whole has significantly underperformed from original expectations."Ongoing pressure from the combination of a declining housing market, interest rate resets and weak loan underwriting standards, has led to high delinquencies, rising losses and a rapid deterioration of credit enhancement for these securities," the rating agency said.Fitch said the latest transactions comprise the entirety of Fitch's rated portfolio of closed-end second-lien RMBS from that series of securities. For details, see [ID:nN16335404].

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Fixed-rate mortgages became more popular in the second half of 2006 as short-term rates increased, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported Tuesday.

According to the group's Mortgage Originations Survey, fixed-rate loans made up 46.2% of dollar volume for first mortgages in the second half of the year. In the first half, fixed-rate loans made up 43.3% of those loan dollars.

In terms of the number of loans that originated during the time period, 60.5% were fixed-rate in the second half of the year, up from 54% in the first.

Total mortgage origination volume increased in the second half of the year, up 11% in dollar amount compared with the first half and up 19.4% based on loan count, according to the group. The MBA said that the increase in originations was due to a rise in home-purchase volume and an increase in refinance volume.

Interest-only loans accounted for 28.5% of originations in the second half of the year; they made up 25.6% in the first half, according to the survey.

And of all home purchases, 26.9% were made by first-time buyers, unchanged from the first half of the year. The average loan amount for these buyers was $197,044; the average loan amount for those who had bought before was $228,547.

Subprime mortgages Despite an overall shift to fixed rates, adjustable-rate mortgages made up a bigger percentage of all subprime originations in the second half of 2006, according to a separate MBA survey. ARMs comprised 75% of subprime originations in the second half of the year, compared with 67% in the first half, according to the Subprime Mortgage Originations Survey.

In addition, the group reported that the percentage of subprime loans being used by first-time home buyers was 15%, up from 12% in the first half of the year. Fifty-five percent of subprime originations were for refinances, unchanged from the first half of the year.

The average loan amount for a subprime loan in the second half of 2006 was $202,295, up from the first half of 2006, when the average loan amount was $200,167, the MBA said.Regarding second mortgages, the average subprime loan amount was $35,506, up from $33,555 in the first half of 2006. The increase in the average loan amount was driven by a sharp increase in closed-end loans, the group reported.

According to MBA research, origination volume of all second mortgages -- both prime and subprime -- decreased 5.8%. Closed-end second mortgages, which usually have a fixed rate for a set term, increased 6.3% and home-equity lines of credit, many of which are tied to the prime rate, decreased 11.6%.

Monday, August 13, 2007

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. banks continued to tighten their standards for approving mortgage loans in the spring and early summer months, the Federal Reserve said Monday.

In particular, banks were imposing tougher standards before they'll approve subprime and nontraditional mortgages. But even the borrowers with the best credit were facing tougher standards at some banks.

Loose lending standards for mortgages over the past several years had inflated the housing market, but now the tightening of those standards has led to the bankruptcy of several lenders and the insolvency of some hedge funds that had invested heavily in U.S. mortgages. Worries about further repercussions have hit global financial markets in recent weeks.In the three months ending in July, 56% of the 16 banks that make subprime loans toughened their standards.

— The Federal ReserveAnalysts are worried that the market volatility since late July will in turn cause banks to further curtail credit in coming months, endangering a fragile economy.

In the three months ending in July, 56% of the 16 banks that make subprime loans toughened their standards, the Fed found. This was roughly the same percentage that tightened standards in the first quarter.

The survey found 40% of banks raised standards for obtaining a nontraditional mortgage, compared with 46% in the first three months of the year.

Meanwhile, 14.3% of banks made it harder to get a prime mortgage loan, compared with 15% in the first quarter.

The Fed also said 25% of banks surveyed raised standards for getting a commercial real estate loan.

No bank surveyed eased standards for those loans.Over the past three months, demand for all three types of mortgage loans has weakened. Thirty-six percent of banks reported "moderately weaker" demand for prime mortgages, 21% of banks said demand for non-traditional mortgages was moderately weaker and 31% of banks said demand for subprime loans had gone down moderately.

On the other hand, the Fed survey found standards for commercial loans and consumer loans were unchanged.

In a special question, the Fed asked the banks about their involvement in the market for syndicated loans that have been at the heart of recent market turmoil.The majority of the banks reported that 5% to 20% of their commercial loans were syndicated loans.

There were some exceptions. Three banks reported that more than 75% of their commercial loans were syndicated.

But almost two-thirds of the banks said only 5% of their holdings were leveraged loans.In general, foreign banks operating in the U.S. has greater exposure to syndicated loans, the survey found.

The Fed's survey is based on responses from 53 U.S. banks and 20 foreign banks.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Countrywide Financial Corp. (NYSE:CFC) has filed its 10-Q quarterly report with the SEC, and the stock has gotten hammered in after-hours trading with a drop of more than 10%. Investors should understand that many of these comments may have been included in prior filings and may have already been telegraphed by the company. But right now in our credit crunch and liquidity squeeze Wall Street is just shooting first. It isn't even that they will ask questions later, because right now it's just a status of shooting and walking away.

Many of the pre-packaged quarterly disclosure statements and possible scenarios outlined herein sound ghastly as well, but these are frequently covered as risk factors in every filing. After a huge down day like today, it's no wonder that after-hours trading is being so hard on Countrywide. After this reaction to a quarterly filing, you can bet that Countrywide's CEO Angelo Mozilo will be on CNBC and elsewhere in media outlets Friday trying to bring about at least some calm and to state that many of these disclosures are routine (or at least somewhat) in the sector.

The company has also said that it believes the changes may hurt near-term but will ultimately help it in the long-run. (If this was truly believed on the surface, then the shares wouldn't be down over 10% in after-hours.)

Page 94 OFF BALANCE SHEET TRANSACTIONS ....We do not believe that any of our off-balance sheet arrangements have had, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future material effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources. Our material contractual obligations were summarized and included in our 2006 Annual Report. There have been no material changes outside the ordinary course of our business in the contractual obligations as summarized in our 2006 Annual Report during the six months ended June 30, 2007.

Here are some of the comments on the next page out of the end of the SEC filing that are hitting the stock:

P.94 PROSPECTIVE TRENDS....OutlookWe believe the current environment of rapidly changing and evolving markets will provide increasing challenges for the financial services sector, including Countrywide. Specifically, in the near term, we may experience: · Continued pressure on housing values and mortgage origination volumes · Increasing delinquencies and foreclosures · Continued disruptions in the secondary mortgage and debt capital markets and · More restrictive legislative and regulatory environments. As a result of these conditions, Countrywide and other lenders may be experiencing, among other things, the following: · Lower loan production volumes · Lower margins on loans produced · Higher credit losses on delinquent loans and subordinated interests · Reduced access to secondary mortgage and debt capital markets and · Increased cost of debt. In response to the current environment, Countrywide is making changes to tighten the underwriting guidelines for loan products offered and adjusting loan pricing to reflect market conditions. Further reductions in the Company’s funding volume could result. Additionally, we expect to retain more loans in our portfolio of loans held for investment or to hold additional loan or security inventory until market conditions improve. In an effort to ensure the adequacy of our funding liquidity, we continue to transition to more reliable funding sources, which may be more costly. We are also optimizing our organizational structure through, among other things, the planned integration of Countrywide Bank and Countrywide Home Loans. While we expect these conditions may impact our earnings in the near term, we believe that the challenges facing the industry should ultimately benefit Countrywide as the mortgage lending industry continues to consolidate.

P. 96 Housing Values Housing values affect us in several ways...... Recently, we have seen housing price declines, including recent declines in housing values in many metropolitan statistical areas in the United States. We expect housing values to remain stagnant or decrease during the near term which will affect our credit loss experience and may affect our willingness to offer certain mortgage loan products, both of which could impact our earnings, particularly in the short term. Over the long term, we expect that housing appreciation will be positively correlated with both consumer price inflation and growth in personal income.

P.96-97 Secondary Mortgage Market Investor Demand Changes in investor demand for mortgage loans can have a significant impact on our ability to access the secondary mortgage market as a competitive outlet. In 2007, we have seen an increase in investor required yields, first for nonprime loans or securities followed by prime home equity loans and then nonconforming loans, together with a lessening in the liquidity of such loans and securities caused by reduced investor demand. In addition, certain credit rating agencies have announced that changes are pending to their securitization ratings protocol. These factors have reduced our ability and willingness to sell such loans or securities into the secondary mortgage market and the availability and pricing of such loans to consumers. Our gain on sale margin may be impacted in the short term .

P. 97 Impact of Declines in Credit PerformanceWith the current contraction in the U.S. housing market and the resulting slowdown in price appreciation (or price depreciation in many markets), along with worsening economic conditions, we may experience increased credit losses in the near term. In 2007, we have observed a marked decline in credit performance (as adjusted for age) for recent vintages, especially those loans with higher risk characteristics, including reduced documentation, higher loan-to-value ratios or weak credit scores. Deterioration in the credit performance of these loans has resulted in increased credit losses and impairment of our related credit-subordinated interests and higher claims under our representations and warranties. Credit markets are rapidly changing and evolving and we expect these changes to impact the housing market, demand for our mortgage-backed securities, our future credit losses and the availability of credit enhancements for the loans and securities we sell and invest in, which may impact future earnings.

P. 97 Funding Liquidity In the third quarter through the filing date of this Form 10-Q, funding liquidity in the financial services sector was constrained primarily due to changes in secondary mortgage market investor demand. Various mortgage lenders have experienced operating difficulties and have extended asset-backed commercial paper facilities or filed for bankruptcy protection. These events have further constrained funding liquidity in the sector. We have maintained access to our traditional, highly reliable short-term liquidity sources. In view of current unprecedented market conditions, we are accessing other pre-existing funding liquidity sources, procuring new sources and accelerating the integration of our mortgage company with the Bank. As a result of this accelerated integration, a significantly higher percentage of our mortgage banking fundings will occur in the Bank sooner than originally planned. The Bank has significant liquidity sources available to fund our mortgage banking operations. While we believe we have adequate funding liquidity, the situation is rapidly evolving and the impact on the Company is unknown.

Right now opinion on this won't matter. A drop of this magnitude is hard to ignore, and this puts the stock back within striking distance of a 52-week low.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

The company was scheduled to release results before the stock market opened on Wednesday. However, Delta Financial corp posted a short statement on the homepage of its Web site on Wednesday that said the earnings have been postponed.

Delta didn't give a reason why it delayed the report and didn't say when the results may be released in future. Larry Karpen, a vice president at Delta Financial, declined to comment.Delta Financial shares slumped $3.20 to close at $4.75 on Wednesday. That leaves the stock down more than 50% so far this year.

Delta Financial specializes in mortgages that don't conform to the standards of government sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae.

The company offers subprime home loans to less creditworthy borrowers. However, it focuses on mainly fixed-rate mortgages and has shunned some of the riskier products that have got some of its rivals into so much trouble this year.Delta Financial Chief Executive Hugh Miller highlighted those attributes during the company's annual meeting in May.

Rather than attempt to quickly gain market share, "we maintained our guidelines and originated loan products that made sense for us and our borrowers," Miller said. "Although it remains a challenging environment, we firmly believe the remaining competitive landscape -- especially in the wholesale channel -- will allow us to capitalize on both short-and long-term opportunities in the market."

That was reflected in the performance of Delta's shares earlier this year. The stock fell in February and March when the first signs of big trouble in the subprime mortgage market emerged. However, the shares rallied strongly in April and May and held on to those gains through June. At the end of June, the shares were up more than 20% in 2007.

But subprime home loan problems have spread to other parts of the mortgage market recently. American Home Mortgage , the 10th largest mortgage lender in the U.S. which originated very few subprime home loans, filed for bankruptcy this week. Several companies have said that parts of the secondary mortgage market have seized up as investors stop buying some types of loans.As problems spread beyond subprime, Delta Financial shares slumped. The stock has lost 55% of its value since the end of June.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- American Home Mortgage Investment Corp.'s rapid slide into Chapter 11 is a stark reminder that instability in the subprime-mortgage market is rippling into higher-quality loans, an attorney specializing in bankruptcy restructuring said Tuesday.

"American Home Mortgage is going down and it's not a subprime originator, so it looks like it's a step up the ladder in terms of turmoil in the mortgage market," said Vincent Slusher, a partner at Beirne, Maynard & Parsons LLC in a telephone interview.

"If it continues up the chain, it's tough to say what might happen," he said.American Home Mortgage's demise sounded alarm bells because the real estate investment trust dealt in so-called Alt-A mortgages, which are offered to more creditworthy borrowers than subprime loans, but they often have adjustable rates and sometimes require little or no documentation.

Highlighting the spreading damage in the mortgage market, Standard & Poor's said on Tuesday that it may downgrade 207 classes of Alt-A residential mortgage-backed securities because of rising delinquencies on the underlying home loans. The underlying loans were offered from the beginning of October 2005 through the end of December 2006, the ratings agency noted.

"The collateral underlying the Alt-A transactions has been experiencing high levels of severe delinquencies that have not abated," S&P said. Alt-A loans represented 20% of the mortgage market in 2006 by estimated purchase dollar originations, while subprime also accounted for 20%, according to Credit Suisse.

Meanwhile, Slusher also pointed to substantial doubt in the market for mortgage-backed securities, which are packages of loans that are securitized and sold to investors.

Large financial institutions holding these securities are feeling the pinch as their values are being marked down with delinquencies up and the housing market on ice. If pessimism in the MBS market continues or worsens, "there could be a severe liquidity crisis," Slusher observed.The recent decline in shares of Bear Stearns Cos. (BSC : The Bear Stearns Companies IncNews , chart , profile , more and the departure of a key executive are more signs that investors are uncertain how deep into credit markets the pain could spread. S&P last week lowered its outlook on the company due to exposure to mortgage-backed securities and leveraged buyouts, another market that is slowing.

"Staid, solid investment houses and investment banks getting caught up in some of the mess is an indication that there's some exposure that could be pretty widespread," Slusher said.He compared the situation to the run of bank failures in the late 1980s.

"There was a lot of money in the marketplace that needed someplace to land," the lawyer said.

"Whenever more dollars are chasing a limited number of outlets, lending requirements are lessened and riskier loans are made, which results in higher default rates eventually."The mortgage market has almost ground to a halt on the subprime fears, and all lenders "are caught up in the crunch because they don't have funds to make mortgage loans."

Additionally, Slusher said he's seeing a "minor" increase in bankruptcy filings in the real estate sector in both Florida residential and commercial companies, which are holding land for development longer than anticipated, which creates "liquidity problems."

Home buyers should expect mortgage rates to rise more, the lawyer said.

"There will be tougher underwriting requirements in terms of down payments and required equity to lessen lender risk," said Slusher. And as rates jump and monthly payments on adjustable-rate mortgages reset higher and bump up monthly payments, default rates should increase even more, he said.